


Drowning In Love

by Anna_Rose17



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, MerMay, Mermaids, Merman!Courfeyrac, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Scientist!Combeferre, based on prompt, mythical creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 21:26:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10907769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anna_Rose17/pseuds/Anna_Rose17
Summary: Prompt from Anon:Ferre is a scientist. He captures Courfeyrac, a young magical creature of your choice. He's supposed to experiment on him, but instead they fall in love.





	1. Discovery

Deep sea exploration. It was always one of the more mysterious subjects. Combeferre had grew up hearing about how little of the ocean was explored, and from the first time he heard that, he knew he would be the one to find out what’s down there.

It was hard work to become the assistant researcher to one of the most well known oceanologists in the entire world. It took years of school and even more time building up his reputation in the scientific community. When he got the email to go on a deep dive into the Atlantic, he jumped at the chance.

It was the latest technology that brought them into this situation. Combeferre had been tasked to use the most advanced sonar in the world. When is scanned the depths, Combeferre felt the years of studying and hoping for this one opportunity swell in his chest. This is what he had been waiting for his entire life. 

Suddenly, there was a fast moving dot on the sonar. Combeferre called for his team to get a visual on whatever it was. He hoped that it would be something bigger than just a fish. While discovering a new species of fish would be great, finding out an even bigger life form would be even better. 

“You’re gonna wanna see this,” one of the technicians called breathlessly. On the camera was a long yellow tail. It was tinted orange and red, the scales reflecting off of the lights of the scanner. The tail turned to reveal the face of a man. His skin was a coffee color, almost bronze. His eyes were large slits resting on high cheekbones. When he opened his eyes, they were a vibrant green, one that seemed to see more than Combeferre could ever hope to see. His brown hair was coarse and floated around him in the murky water. 

Suddenly, the beautiful man was pulled into the boat. He was kept in the water, in a large tank on the lower part of the submarine. The head scientist slowly drained the water, waiting for the creature’s reaction. “Sir,” Combeferre asked slowly. “Did we find a mermaid?” “I believe so. And I want you to monitor his behavior as I go bring the ship back up to the shore.” The man left, leaving Combeferre with the newly discovered creature. 

Combeferre tapped his mouth and mimicked talking. The creature nodded, opening his mouth. He closed it again, and pointed at Combeferre. “I speak English and French,” he stated. “Thank you for saying so.” the man responded. He had a slight smirk as he rested his hands along the edge of the tank. “You speak English?” Combeferre asked. The creature rolled his eyes. “I can speak whatever language you want me to speak.” He winked at Combeferre, his green eyes even brighter in the light.

“Are you… flirting with me?” Combeferre asked cautiously. “Why yes I am. Do you have a problem with that? You’d be a perfect match for me.” The mermaid let himself drift around in the tank, floating in the water. “W-well, I need to experiment on you…” Combeferre stammered. “Why don’t you come here and we can experiment some more.” The mermaid grinned, showing his teeth as he pulled Combeferre into a crushing kiss. 

Combeferre sank into the kiss, holding the man’s face gently. His skin was smooth, but not like a human’s skin. It felt like his entire “skin” was made of one large scale. Combeferre pulled back, gasping. “I don’t know anything about you! I don’t know what affect your species can have on me!” The mermaid rolled his eyes once more. “Well now _Doctor_ ,” he drawled. “Why don’t you come find out?”


	2. Experiments

The next few weeks were unbearable. As soon as other scientist got word of the discovery of a mermaid, the news spread like wildfire. It seemed like everyday there was a new batch of scientists visiting the lab that housed the mermaid. 

Combeferre was the one who did most of the experiments on him. The mermaid, who Combeferre learned was named Courfeyrac, did not like the experiments. While he was excited to see Combeferre everyday, he did not like the constant poking and prodding that came along with his visits. 

Combeferre tried his best to explain that no, he could not stop the testing. As close as the two had become, Combeferre still had a role to play. He needed to gain new information about this creature and his species. The team had tried to send in other scientist, but Courfeyrac would not allow that. The first time they sent in a group of interns, Courfeyrac soaked them in water the moment they tried to touch him. 

So Combeferre continued to do all the research on the mermaid. While Courfeyrac was reluctant, he would still work alongside Combeferre. “Why must you do this?” Courfeyrac asked, floating on his back while Combeferre wrote down the results of the latest test. “It’s for science. Believe me, I would not be doing this if I didn’t have to. I would lose my job if I didn’t do these experiments. It’s the only reason I’m here,” he explained, not looking up from his computer. 

“Why can’t you just ask me the questions you need answers to?” Courfeyrac complained, flicking some water at Combeferre. “Because that’s not considered an experiment. Look at it this way, I can’t just ask the plants at what temperature they grow best, because even if they could talk, we don’t know if they are lying.” Courfeyrac mumbled something under his breath and sunk underneath the water. The tank was clear, allowing for Combeferre to watch as Courfeyrac pouted. 

Combeferre sighed and tapped the glass. Courfeyrac shook his head and pointed at the ground. He did this a lot. Whenever Courfeyrac was angry, he would sit at the bottom of the tank, refusing to get up. He once said that if Combeferre wanted to talk, he’d have to come down with him. 

“You know I can’t do that, I would drown,” Combeferre stated, unsure if Courfeyrac could here him. Courfeyrac suddenly burst out of the water and grabbed Combeferre. He held onto his waist and pulled him into the tank. Combeferre gasped, feeling the water fill his lungs. He coughed, choking on the water. 

Courfeyrac leaned in and kissed him. The water left his mouth and Combeferre breathed into the kiss. Courfeyrac pulled back with a smirk on his face. _See, you can come down here,_ a voice in his head stated. _How did you do that?_ Combeferre asked. _When I kissed you, you breathed in the air that my body supplies. It won’t last long, but I think that this will give you enough information about my species without all of those stupid tests. You should get out of the water now, you might start drowning._

Combeferre swam up and pulled himself out of the water. As soon as fresh air entered his lungs, he started coughing. Courfeyrac swam up and bent over the tank, hitting Combeferre’s back. “Maybe give me a warning before you do that,” Combeferre choked out. “Can we stop testing for today?” Courfeyrac groaned, resting his head on the tank’s edge. “I really don’t like it.”

“Yeah, I think we have enough information for today,” Combeferre mumbled. He sighed, looking down at his wet clothes. He silently thanked whatever was out there for the fact that his phone wasn’t in his pocket when Courfeyrac decided to drag him down. “Do you think I’ll ever be free again?” Courfeyrac whispered.

Combeferre turned to face Courfeyrac. The merman was normally all smiles, except when he was being experimented on. Now he had a sullen look to him, along with a spacey glaze over his eyes. “I hope so. I’ll try as hard as I can to make sure you can return home,” Combeferre whispered. “I can’t promise anything. The scientific community won’t want to let you go until they know where the rest of your civilization is. I’m sorry for this.”

Courfeyrac nodded solemnly, drifting back under the water. Combeferre sighed and walked back over to the tank. He took a deep breath and submerged his head under the water. He pulled Courfeyrac up to meet him, kissing him softly. _I’m going to try to make sure you get back._ He sent out the thought to Courfeyrac and pulled himself out of the water. He gave one more smile to Courfeyrac before he turned off the lights and left.


	3. Press Conference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an FYI, while Courfeyrac will only have that as his name, I use the name Philippe for Combeferre. He'll mostly be referred to as Dr. Combeferre so there won't be any confusion, but there will be certain sections that he'll be called by his first name.

“You’ll need to go to the press conference with us,” Dr. Astor stated. It was week three of testing on Courfeyrac, who had stopped protesting what was going on. The public and the media were on the edge of their seats, waiting for new about the merman. 

“With all due respect sir, I’d rather not,” Combeferre stated. “Philippe, I know you don’t want to, especially with your … connection with the creature, but you’re the only one of us who has any experience with it. You must address the questions the public is asking!” Combeferre sighed, knowing it would be futile to argue with the lead scientist. “I understand sir. I’ll prepare for the conference now. When will it be?”

The doctor smiled, pleased with Combeferre’s response. “It is tomorrow at noon. I’ll do introductions and will answer any questions about our equipment or the trip down. All you need to do is show the results of your tests.” Combeferre nodded, making a mental note to not tell the reporters how he discovered the way that Courfeyrac breaths underwater.

“You should head home. There won’t be any testing tonight, and you need to rest up for the press conference tomorrow.” Dr. Astor patted Combeferre on the back and walked off to his station. Combeferre gathered his stuff and went to his car. 

Combeferre’s apartment was fairly large. His salary was quite high so he could afford a nice apartment. He shared the apartment with Enjolras, who had been his friend since high school. Enjolras was considering moving out soon though. Enjolras’ spent most of his time at his boyfriend’s house anyway, so it was impractical to live with Combeferre anymore. Combeferre had gotten used to spending most days by himself, so when he walked in to see Enjolras surrounded by a pile of papers, he was taken aback. 

“I see you aren’t at Grantaire’s tonight,” Combeferre commented. “I have a lot of work to do and I will not get any of it done if I’m with him,” Enjolras replied, not looking up from his papers. “You’re home early. No experiments tonight?” Combeferre sighed and took a seat next to Enjolras. “I have a press conference tomorrow. It’s going to be about Courfeyrac.”

Enjolras looked up at him. “Oh? After almost a month of secrecy, you are finally addressing your merman?” “I would prefer not to, but it’s out of my hands. I have to go because I’m the only one who Courfeyrac allows to collect data on him.” Enjolras hummed, looking back down at his work. “What are you going to say about the whole ‘underwater breathing’ thing?” Enjolras asked as he highlighted some words.

“I honestly don’t know. I don’t think that it would be a good idea to go out in front of the media and say that the reason we know how mermaids breathe underwater is because I made out with a stunningly attractive one!” Enjolras stifled a laugh, determined to keep up his cold exterior. “Well, you can say that you did it for science. Or, if you want a more professional answer, you can say you had him breathe into a bottle, then you breathed the air from that bottle and voila, underwater breathing.”  
Combeferre considered it for a second before agreeing. “I guess that’s believable. I need to go gather my thoughts before this conference.” Enjolras mumbled an acknowledgement, and went back to his work.

When Combeferre woke up the next morning, he felt anxiety filling his chest. He knew the answers to all the questions, but he still was worried about what the public would think about Courfeyrac. Would they even consider him to be a person, or would they see him as just a lab rat? Combeferre shook his head, ridding the thoughts from his mind. He would have Dr. Astor there, along with some of the other members of their staff. They all treated Courfeyrac as a person, so that message should be made clear to the audience. 

Combeferre put on his dress shirt, along with a dark green tie. He pulled on a sweater vest and and ran his fingers through his hair. Looking at himself in the mirror once more, Combeferre sighed and grabbed his briefcase. He walked out of the house, calling out a goodbye to Enjolras as he left. 

The drive to the press conference seemed like an eternity. Every stop light seemed to take 5 years and stretch of road seemed like 50. Once Combeferre reached the entrance to the building, he froze. Thoughts raced through his mind at 100 mph and they didn’t seem like they were going to slow down. One hand on the door handle, Combeferre stood glued to his spot. All he wanted to do was protect Courfeyrac, and what if he said something that would put him in danger?

As Combeferre stood in his mental turmoil, he didn’t notice Dr. Astor walk up behind him. “Philippe, are you ok?” Combeferre jumped, turning to face Dr. Astor. “Yes sir, I just am slightly nervous about this conference.” Dr. Astor laughed, shaking his head. “You’re worried about what they have to say about your merman, aren’t you?” Combeferre nodded, happy that he didn’t have to explain himself to the doctor. “Don’t worry son, their words mean nothing. We’re the only ones who have any sort of control over his fate.” Dr. Astor’s words soothes Combeferre slightly, allowing him to open the door and walk in. 

The press wasn’t there yet, so Combeferre had some time to set up. His seat was next to Dr. Astor, who was front and center. Combeferre watched as the seats in front of their table began to fill until the entire conference hall was full. Dr. Astor gave a brief introduction of the staff and what each member of their team did, along with an explanation about how the tech works. After some time, Dr. Astor opened the panel for questions. 

The journalists’ hands shot up, each one wanting to be the first to ask about the new species. Dr. Astor called on a young lady in the front row. “Is this merman being cared for in a humane way?” She asked. Combeferre smiled softly, relishing in her care for Courfeyrac. “Yes he is. We have made sure that his living space is large enough for him, along with taking into consideration what he wants,” Combeferre replied. The lady smiled and sat down, pleased with the answer she received. Dr. Astor turned to  
Combeferre with a knowing smile before calling on more reporters. 

Most of the questions were very simple, no one really knew much about Courfeyrac so most of it was introduction. Finally came the time to address how he breathes. “Have our scientists begun to research how this merman breathes?” a reporter called from the back. Combeferre cleared his throat and steadied his voice before answering.  
“Yes we have. We have come to understand that the air that is circulating inside the merman’s body allows him to breathe. It seems that there are certain chemicals that separate the oxygen that is inside the water and is filtered out once the merman breaths. While we don’t know much, we do know that this ability can be transferred over to humans when breath is exchanged.” Combeferre felt his hands shaking as he responded to the question. Dr. Astor put a hand on his leg, calming him slightly. Combeferre breathed a sigh of relief when there were no follow up questions about that particular topic. 

The rest of the conference went along without a hitch and Combeferre was grateful for that. He was glad to see that the reporters thought of Courfeyrac as a person, and treated him as such. Once the reporters left, Dr. Astor turned to talk with Combeferre. “You did a good job today, Philippe. I don’t think you’ll be needed for the next press conference so you don’t need to worry about that.” Combeferre thanked him and set out for home.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like a fic/ficlet, ask at my tumblr @enjolras-would-bang-that.


End file.
